1 It happened again. Lexi Beaumont, the girl who ruled our campus with a designer-clad fist, had me cornered in the cramped, bleach-scented restroom. She’d spent the last ten minutes mocking my thrift-store sweater and the way I smelled like the industrial fryer from my night shift. She took a burst of photos of my humiliated face and tapped away at her phone, sending them to her online “situationships.” “These three guys are such pathetic posers, Sophie,” Lexi sneered, waving her iPhone 15 in my face. “One claims he’s a Manhattan billionaire’s heir. Another says his dad owns half of Silicon Valley. And the most ridiculous one? He pretends he’s the son of a global shipping magnate from London.” She laughed, a sharp, ugly sound. “I’m done with them. I don’t need desperate fakes clinging to me. I just sent them your pathetic little face. Now they can go harass you instead.” I opened my mouth to beg her to delete the photos, to just leave me alone. But then, the world blurred. Glowing, translucent lines of text—like a live-stream chat—began to scroll across my vision. [Honey, you’re going to regret this! They aren’t fakes. They are literally the most powerful heirs in the country!] [These three are ‘Grade-A Obsessives.’ One look from a girl playing the ‘damsel in distress’ and they’ll drop five million dollars without blinking.] [Wait, did Lexi just hand over the golden ticket to the scholarship girl? What if Sophie actually plays her cards right?] Five million dollars. The number echoed in my head, loud enough to drown out the hum of the restroom vents. That kind of money wouldn’t just pay my tuition; it would save my parents. It would change everything. My heart hammered against my ribs. I looked at Lexi, forcing my voice to remain small, trembling just enough to feed her ego. “Since… since you don’t like them anyway,” I whispered, “could you give me the account? I’ll keep them busy so they don’t bother you anymore.” Lexi looked at me with pure, unadulterated disdain. “Sophie Miller, are you really that thirsty? You’d actually take my leftovers? These losers?” She scanned my frayed jeans and the worn-out sneakers I’d found in a donation bin. She let out a scoffing giggle. “Whatever. You’re both pathetic and desperate. No man with a brain would ever look at you twice, but I guess you can have the trash. Consider it an act of charity.” She scribbled the login and password on a scrap of paper and flicked it at my face. It stung as it hit my cheek, falling onto the wet floor. I waited until the door slammed shut behind her. I didn’t cry. Instead, I wiped the grime from my face, picked up the paper, and changed the password and the recovery phone number immediately. The second I logged in, a notification from Harrison Montgomery—the Manhattan heir—popped up. “Baby, what’s wrong? Why haven’t you answered? Are you okay?” “Please talk to me! I’m losing my mind worrying about you!” My palms were sweating. I swallowed hard and typed back with trembling fingers. “Lexi was mean to me again…” “Just because I’m on a scholarship and can’t afford nice things… she made everyone laugh at me.” I hit send. Almost instantly, a notification from a banking app flashed. The “Feed” hadn’t lied. I counted the zeros until my eyes hurt. Harrison had just transferred five million dollars into the account. “Go buy something beautiful, baby. You’re too precious for anyone to treat like that. I won’t allow it.” “Tell me when you need more. I’ll send it immediately.” The shimmering text in the air exploded: [Look at Sophie, such a little gold-digger! She’s playing the pity card perfectly.] [If Harrison ever finds out she’s an imposter, he’ll have his lawyers bury her alive for fraud.] My hand shook. A wave of guilt washed over me. Five million was… insane. All I really needed was enough for my dad’s surgery and maybe a decent meal. I was about to type a message to send some of it back when a message from Dominic Rhodes—the Silicon Valley scion—arrived. “Baby, why do you look like a lost kitten in this photo? You look so pure, so sweet…” “What did you have for lunch? Send me a picture.” I answered honestly this time. “I ran out of money on my meal card. I was just going to have some free crackers and water from the library.” Dominic didn’t hesitate. A notification for five hundred thousand dollars pinged. “Please, take care of yourself. It physically hurts me to think of you being hungry.” The Feed hissed again: [Is she ever going to stop? She’s addicted to the payout.] [Lexi is going to flip. These were supposed to be hers!] The Feed was making me anxious. I quickly typed a reply to Dominic. “Thank you for being so kind to me. But I really don’t need this much. Can I give some back?” “Or maybe I can treat it as a loan? I’ll pay you back once I get a second job.” To my horror, the Feed started mocking me with laughter emojis. [Lexi’s ‘persona’ was an ice queen. She was cold and untouchable. That’s why they chased her.] [Sophie is being too nice. Dominic is going to realize something is wrong any second now.] [Haha, get ready for the fallout. She’s blowing her cover.] My stomach dropped. I scrolled back through the old chat logs. The Feed was right. Lexi had been incredibly aloof, barely replying to one message out of ten. My warmth was a massive red flag. I was frantically trying to think of a way to walk it back when the phone started vibrating like it was possessed. Message after message flooded in from Dominic. “Why are you being so formal? Are you trying to break up with me?” “I know where you go to school now. If you try to leave me, I will literally come there and take you away.” “I’m not letting go. Never.” Then, three more transfers. Exactly five million dollars total. The Feed was just as stunned as I was. [Unbelievable. I forgot how obsessed these guys are.] [She’s soft and sweet, and he’s falling ten times harder because he feels like she actually needs him.] The Feed’s anger actually made me feel a little bolder. Lexi was the one who sent my photo. Lexi was the one who threw the account in my face. If she didn’t want these “trash” boys, fine. I’d take them. I went to the mirror, cleaned myself up, and took a genuine selfie. I sent it to Harrison and Dominic with a simple message: “My name is Sophie. Please, don’t call me ‘baby’ yet. Just call me Sophie.” They didn’t find it strange. They found it intoxicating. They started typing my name over and over—Sophie, Sophie, Sophie—asking for my address so they could send “little gifts.” Even through the screen, their intensity was suffocating, yet strangely warm. I took the money. First, I went to the hospital and paid off my parents’ mounting debt. I moved them both into a private VIP wing with 24-hour nursing. For the first time in years, I didn’t have to worry about becoming an orphan. When I finally returned to campus, I noticed a string of missed messages from the third guy: Nate Winthrop, the London magnate’s son. “Is someone hurting you at that school?” “Why didn’t you tell me you were struggling?” “Where are you? Why aren’t you answering? Is there someone else?” I sent him a photo from the hospital—not of my face, but of my hand holding my father’s. “I’m so sorry, Nate. I’ve been at the hospital taking care of my parents. They’ve been very sick, and I’ve been working so hard to keep up with my tuition. I’m sorry for being slow…” I wouldn’t be like Lexi. If someone showed me kindness, I would meet it with sincerity. The Feed reacted before Nate did: [The manipulative bitch is at it again! Playing the martyr now?] [I’m fuming. She’s a thief. How can we get the guys to see the truth?] While the Feed cursed me, Nate’s five million dollars hit the account. His text was dripping with protective rage. “The thought of you being so strong and independent while suffering alone… it breaks me.” “Take the money for their treatment. If it’s not enough, tell me.” “Don’t be afraid. I am your safety net now. Forever.” My eyes welled up. All my life, poverty had been a cage, a reason for people to look down on me. This was the first time I felt like someone actually saw the weight I was carrying. Using the money, I rented a small, clean, sunlit apartment near campus, far away from the dorm roommates who helped Lexi bully me. I paid my tuition for the next three years. I bought a few sets of comfortable, decent clothes—nothing flashy, just things that didn’t have holes in them. For every cent I spent, I kept a meticulous ledger. I wrote out formal promissory notes, signed them, and tucked them into a folder. If I ever got “caught,” I wanted to show them I never intended to just steal. Maybe they wouldn’t send me to prison if they saw I planned to pay them back. On the day I moved out of the dorms, I tried to keep a low profile. But as I hauled my suitcase toward the exit, Lexi and her cronies were waiting. Lexi kicked my suitcase over, her eyes narrowed. “Sophie Miller, I thought you couldn’t even afford a meal plan. Where’d you get the money for a move-out service?” I tried to walk around her, but she blocked my path. “New clothes? A North Face backpack? Who’s the old man, Sophie? Who’s paying for the scholarship girl to play dress-up?” The girls around her chimed in, their voices sharp. “She was eating free soup and crackers last week. Yesterday, she had a full steak dinner at the bistro. Definitely a sugar daddy.” I took a breath and straightened my back. “It’s none of your business, Lexi. I didn’t take a dime from you.” I pushed past her before she could react, heart racing as I ran toward my Uber. Once I was safe in my new apartment, I messaged the three of them. I asked a question that had been haunting me. “Does it matter that I’m poor? Will you look down on me like everyone else does?” Harrison called me immediately, his voice a frantic growl. “Sophie, are you testing me? Are you trying to find an excuse to leave? I don’t care about money! I have too much of it anyway! Don’t you dare say goodbye!” Dominic sent another transfer along with a command: “Tell me the name of the girl bullying you. I’ll handle it.” Nate simply started ordering things. “Stop overthinking. I just sent a new MacBook, a phone, and some bags to your new place. I like that you’re poor, baby. It means you’ll always have to rely on me.” Even though I was getting used to them, their “obsessive” nature still caught me off guard. All I could do was offer them my time, my photos, and my attention. A simple “I miss you” could turn these powerful men into puddles of devotion. The Feed was gnashing its teeth: [Who wouldn’t want a rich guy this obsessed? I’m so jealous I could scream.] [She’s ‘fishing.’ Keeping three of them on the hook. Disgusting.] [She’s going to die when they find out. It’s going to be a bloodbath.] I closed my eyes, trying to block out the shimmering text. Even if this was stolen happiness… I just wanted to hold onto it a little longer. The next day, I was studying in the university library when four couriers arrived, pushing carts loaded with over a dozen massive boxes. “Is Sophie Miller here? We have high-value deliveries. The total insurance value exceeds five hundred thousand dollars. We need a signature.” The entire library stopped. Everyone stared. “Fifty thousand dollars worth of stuff? For Sophie?” “The ‘sugar daddy’ rumors must be true.” I tried to usher the couriers outside, but Lexi appeared out of nowhere. She was ready to mock me, but then she caught sight of the shipping labels. Her face went pale. “Nate Winthrop?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “The shipping magnate’s son? Why is he sending you gifts?” The Feed went wild: [YES! Lexi finally figured it out!] [Tear her apart, Queen! Take your men back!] My heart hammered. I told the couriers to move the boxes to my apartment immediately. Lexi grabbed my arm, her grip tight and painful. “Why are you acting so guilty? What are you hiding?” she hissed. “Wait… that ‘fake’ Nate Winthrop… he’s real? And you’ve been talking to him?” She pulled out her phone and tried to log into the account. When the “Incorrect Password” notice popped up, she lost it. She grabbed me by the collar. “You changed the password! You bitch! You stole them from me!” I didn’t cower this time. I shoved her back. “You gave them to me, Lexi. You said they were trash. You said you didn’t want them clinging to you. You don’t get to ask for them back just because you realized they have value.” Lexi was livid. “You think you’re so smart? You think Nate Winthrop wants a piece of trash like you? I’m going to open these right now and show everyone what a fraud you are!” She reached for a box, but the head courier stepped in. “Stop!” he barked. “These are private property. If you touch them, we will call the police. Mr. Winthrop was very clear: only Sophie Miller touches these. Are you looking for a legal battle with the Winthrop family?” Lexi froze. The color drained from her face. She’d never had anyone stand up to her before—least of all a man defending me. She backed away, her eyes burning with hatred. “You’ll pay for this, Sophie. I’ll make sure everyone knows the truth!” The Feed cheered her on: [The reveal is coming! I can’t wait to see Sophie lose everything.] [The guys will realize she’s just an imposter and go back to Lexi. This is going to be glorious!] Looking at the mountain of luxury goods, I didn’t feel happy. I felt terrified. If Lexi succeeded, what would happen to my parents? I didn’t sleep that night. I made a choice. I took photos of the promissory notes I’d written. I packed the gifts back into their boxes. I took all the money I hadn’t spent yet and initiated a return transfer. Then, with a heavy heart, I blocked all three of them. I would find more jobs. I would pay them back every cent I’d used. I couldn’t live with this shadow over my head anymore. I thought blocking them would bring peace. But as I walked out of my last class the next day, a black Rolls-Royce Ghost swerved across the campus road, blocking my path. The door flew open. Harrison Montgomery stepped out, looking like he hadn’t slept in a week. He marched up to me, his face a mask of fury. “Sophie Miller, what the hell do these promissory notes mean? Are you trying to settle a debt so you can leave me?” He grabbed my wrist, his grip firm but not painful. “I told you. I’m not letting you go. Never.” Before I could breathe, another roar of an engine echoed. A sleek Italian sports car screeched to a halt behind the Rolls. Dominic Rhodes jumped out. “Let go of her!” He ran to my other side, his eyes wide with desperation. “Sophie, do you have any idea what happens when you block me? Do not ever do that again. Add me back right now, or things are going to get very ugly.” My brain short-circuited. Two of the most powerful heirs in the country were standing on my campus, fighting over me. Harrison glared at Dominic. “Who the hell are you?” “I should ask you the same thing! Get your hands off my girl!” The Feed was ecstatic: [IT’S HAPPENING! The collision! Her lies are falling apart!] [Hope they find out she’s an imposter right now. Let the social suicide begin!] Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted from the crowd of gathering students. “You’re both being played!” Lexi shouted, running toward us. “I’m Lexi Beaumont! I am the girl you were originally talking to! Sophie Miller is a liar!” My face went white. This was it.
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